Reasons for Failure
by Midnight Lavender
Summary: Drake obviously isn't the best student. But when Josh discovers why, will he be able to help Drake overcome the obstacles of both his past and present?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, so this story is gonna be covering the classes Drake is failing, and the reason behind them. Well, go ahead, read it please! :D**

**Chapter One: Gym Class**

"Drake, you can't skip P.E. again... You'll fail the class!" Drake kept walking down the hall, passing the gym.

"Big whoop."  
"Mom and Dad will KILL you if you fail!"

"So what?" Drake snorted. Josh felt frustration building up. P.E. had started ten minuted ago, and they were still arguing about attending! Josh normally wouldn't soil his perfect attendance, but... Drake was his brother. And his brother was failing, and he couldn't let that happen. Couldn't Drake see how much Josh was sacrificing for him?

"DRAKE! Would you stop being so selfish? You're SO lazy that you won't even go to gym class! Because all YOU care about is making out with hot girls and looking good! It's hard to believe you, ya know? When I never thought that when I got a step-brother, he would be this arrogant," Josh shouted, turning red. Drake stopped in his tracks. He clenched his fists, over and over again, feeling his nails dig into his skin. He turned to face Josh, then shook his head before continuing on his way once again.

"Don't ignore me!" Josh screeched. "Just give me ONE good reason why you can't go to that class!"

"FINE! You wan't a reason, Joshy? Here it is!" Drake said, his voice cracking. Shaking slightly, he lifted his shirt, shivering even further as his skin was exposed. Josh was at a loss for words. Scars upon scars littered Drake's stomach, making it barely identifiable.

Josh's voice came out in a whisper. "But.."

"I can't change into my gym clothes. I can't have anyone knowing. I don't even want you to know," Drake shoved his shirt back down. "See you at home." Josh didn't protest as his brother walked away in silence.

* * *

Dinner at the Parker-Nicohls residence was beyond awkward. The rest of the family had no idea of the events that had happened at school, but the tension from the two boys was almost visible.

"So, the weather. Didn't I predict an amazing day?" Walter said, attempting to break the ice. He glanced around the table before shoving his mouthful of food again. For the rest of the meal, all that could be heard was the sound of forks and spoons scraping up the scraps of their food. Suddenly, Josh was struck with an idea. Maybe he couldn't get DRAKE to talk about it, but maybe he could find out some more from his mother.

"Hey, uh, Mom?"

"Yes, Honey?"

Josh shifted his weight awkwardly, flinching at the creak the chair made. "I, uh, no it's awkward, but...I just kinda thought it would be good if we knew about each other's lives...before you and Dad got married. Like the good times you had, or...the bad."

His mom's smile diminished in an instant. Even Megan seemed a bit uneasy. "I don't think that's a good idea. Why don't you help clear the table?"

His mom, Megan, and Drake HAD to be hiding something. There was no other way! And Josh was determined to get to the bottom of it.

* * *

"Hey, bro?" Drake called from his bed. He played a few small chords on his guitar.

"Drake?"

"You still want to know how I got.."

"Yeah...I do."

Drake lay back on his bed and cleared his throat in obvious discomfort.

"You know how I freaked out when you broke my foam finger a while back?"

"I don't know what that has to do with-" Josh started.

"Just hear me out. I loved that finger, I really did. I got it the day that my father, my real father, took me to a baseball game. I was so excited! My dad lifted me onto his shoulders one night as I laughed. He almost caught a ball for me. He told me how sorry he was that he didn't, but..It didn't matter anyways. By the end of the game, I was exhausted. I curled up into his arms as he carried me to the car, telling me how much he loved me." Drake smiled and strummed his guitar softly.

"That's really sweet," Josh said, climbing up to sit beside his brother.

"For a while, life really was. But then a year later, things changed. Megan was born, and my dad lost his job. My mom was able to support us, but.. My dad felt horrible about everything. He started drinking on a daily basis, while Mom was at work. He still loved me, I really think that he did. I guess that it just didn't get through to him through his drunken haze. He stopped acting as if he loved me, anyways. He refused to care for Megan, so..I, a little kid, had to do it to keep her alive. Mom worked almost all day and night, so I would feed her, bathe her, and change her diapers. Dad started to get more physical after a few months, hitting me and eventually turning to a pocket knife. It was always in his back pocket, soon turning darker with my blood with each use. He was whisper in my ear that I was useless, I was stupid, I would never be his son. I was so sure that he hated me, but I wanted so bad for him to love me again that I never told Mom. The routine went on for years, and thankfully no more.

One night, my mom came home to find me in a pool of my own blood with my father standing over me. I still don't remember exactly what happened, but I do remember waking in the hospital to find numerous stitches and my father in jail. What scares me is that I still miss him. I shouldn't, but I do. That one moment...That one moment of happiness always made me want him back so much."

"Drake..I'm sorry.."

"It doesn't matter.."

"But you're still failing gym and..."

"English and math, I know."

Wait, what? "You're failing those classes too?" Josh groaned. "Oh, Drake."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: English**

"Ok, just go and tell the teacher why you can't change in front of everyone else.." Josh said, pushing his step-brother forward. Drake pulled away, scowling.  
"What makes you think that I want to tell my TEACHER about that? I didn't even want to tell you! Megan tried talking with me about it once, but I shut her off...Her never touched her, so I just couldn't tell her what happened." Drake pushed Josh and walked out the doors. Josh sat on the floor for a while, wondering what to do. Maybe if the teacher knew what was happening with out Drake knowing... Josh smiled. He was such a great brother! Josh ran to the library with confidence. Sure enough, Josh was able to find a few new articles about what had happened so many years ago. Josh retrieved the articles from the printer and slide them into the gym teacher's mailing slot.

* * *

Drake sat on his bed strumming his guitar, somehow silent while doing this. He sighed deeply and picked up his ringing phone.

"Sup, Emma?" Drake leaned back, smiling. Emma was hot. Dumb, but hot and a great kisser. "So, want to meet up later? Yeah! Yeah, great."

"Drake!" Josh burst into the shared room.

Drake groaned. "I'm on the phone! Ugh, sorry Lindi, I gotta go...Oh, yeah, I meant Emma..Yeah, bye."

"Drake, we need to work on your English! Now come on! Mrs. Hayfer said she'll tutor you in fifteen minutes!"

"Woah, woah, woah!" Drake shot up in bed. "TUTORING? Mrs. Hayfer HATES ME!"

"Maybe, but she's your English teacher, remember?" Drake groaned. Josh added, "And you can probably meet Emma there after. She has cheerleading in a few minutes."

"Well, why didn't you start out with that?" Drake laughed.

* * *

"I don't like you," the English teacher declared as Drake walked into the classroom.

"I know," Drake sighed. "Can we just get this over with?"

"Hmph," Mrs. Hayfer grumbled. "Let's start with this week's vocabulary." Within five minutes of the tutoring session, Drake was already clearly struggling. He tapped his pencil briskly against the desk. Mrs. Hayfer rapped her fist sharply against his desk.

"Stop that!" She frowned. "Now, focus!"  
"I am focusing!"

"Then read this passage aloud to me, then tell me five examples of literary elements found in the rising action."

"Sh-She looked up at the moon with m-m-menalocony-"

"MELANCHOLY, Drake!"

"I can't do this," Drake whispered. "I'm sorry, I can't do this!" He held his fingers to his forehead as if he was actually in pain.

Mrs. Hayfer tapped her foot impatiently. "You're problem is that you don't TRY. You think that you-"

"I try."

"Hmph, I sincerely doubt that, Mr. Parker."

Drake seemed to fire up at this comment. His cheeks turned slightly pink, and his fists clenched. "It's not like I can read as well as everyone else. Dyslexia does that, you know."

Mrs. Hayfer was unfazed. "Dyslexia, Mr. Parker?" She asked.

"Trauma dyslexia. You know, dyslexia that occurs after head trauma and all that stuff? Mine's pretty bad, apparently," Drake said, attempting to sound bored, as if this wasn't a big deal.

"And what would have caused your head trauma, Drake?" Mrs. Hayfer lowered herself to his desk, looking him directly in the eyes.

Drake shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "You know, just, uh, stupid little kid stuff. On the playground. Yeah."

Mrs. Hayfer stood slowly, turning around. "You're lying," she laughed slowly. "Now, unless you want a month's worth of detention for attempting to deceive me, you had better stop pretending to have dyslexia and get to work."

There was a moment of dead silence. Just the English teacher staring out the window, and Drake staring at her back.

"My dad caused it." He said in a monotone voice.

Mrs. Hayfer didn't turn around. "I don't believe you. Describe the events that occurred leading to the incident."

Drake looked past her blankly. He bit his lip nervously, his leg quivering. "I don't remember." The teacher shook her head. "No, really! I just..Woke up in the hospital. I remember..I just remember that I was so excited. I had taught myself to play the guitar, and I wanted to show my dad. I remember strumming a few chords for him, then..then, nothing but pain. Then I woke up, and never saw him again."

The unconcerned teacher clasped her hands behind her back. "That is quite an elaborate story you have manifested."

* * *

After the tutoring session, a disgruntled Linda Hayfer decided to do her research. Abused. Why, the nerve Drake had! Linda was abused herself as a child. Nothing severe, and it had never gotten far, but she had been abused nonetheless. Furiously typing away, she sent quite an angry email to the Nichols-Parker household. In a few minutes, Drakes mother had responded with nothing but a link. Curious, Linda visited the article to find what she never would have expected. Her seemingly frozen heart appeared to be sinking with each passing word. As her hurriedly clicking heels led her out of the school building, she ran into the gym teacher, Samuel. He dropped a stack of papers, and Linda knelt to gather them. She gasped as she saw what the papers were.

"Samuel, I.."

"Shush, I don't think he wanted anyone to know. It obviously didn't come from him, and-"

"Samuel!" He looked up.

"I-I know about it too." And with those words, the two teachers took a ride in Mrs. Hayfer's car as they discussed the next step. With a sudden jolt, they came to startling realizations.


End file.
